The soft bigotry of low expectations — Job Numbers Edition

June 7, 2005

Everyone no doubt heard about May’s employment numbers, which were the worst in nearly two years. It’s worth noting the president’s reaction the day after the figures were released, in his weekly radio address.

“America’s economy is on the right track. Over the past two years, we’ve added more than 3.5 million new jobs.”

Some are given lemons and make lemonade. Others are given lemons and make stuff up.

Gene Sperling did a great job putting the recent job numbers in context, in a report for the Center for American Progress. He highlighted some painful truths Bush failed to acknowledge.

Through May 2005 (52 months into the Bush Presidency) private sector jobs are down 24,000. This morning’s May jobs report showed that the economy once again failed to produce its first net private sector job under Bush.

Since [the] Great Depression no other president who served at least 52 months has overseen a net loss in private sector jobs through this point.

Bush considers these recent events proof that the “economy is on the right track.” One wonders if even he believes that.

The man is CLUELESS. But his tax cut’s on the rich sure seem to be working don’t they?

  • I have no doubt that Bush does believe the economy is on the right track. Remember, Republicans dictate their own reality.

  • My family struggled with 12 kids, even though my dad worked for GM. Several siblings have worked for GM for 20+ years (one is at 44 years and counting). But, being from Flint, Michigan, I can attest to the devastation that GM and Roger Smith (of Michael Moore’s “Roger and Me” fame) intentionally and callously caused that once-proud and now broken city.

    Yet, just two days ago I had a heated debate with the 44+ senority brother about Bush’s economic policies. He spewed the Bush company line (straight out of “his” paper, the “Investors Business Daily”), and I asked how he could believe that B.S. in light of the tax cuts for the rich, the upward transfer of the social security surplus (created under the 1983 Greenspan Commission) to the wealthy via the 2001 and subsequent tax cuts, and that since Bush came in there have been only a few months where new job creation exceeded the 150,000 needed just to keep pace with new workers entering the job market for the first time. My brother said I was nuts or that I was ill-informed.

    THAT got me angry. So I just agreed to disagree, and told him my favorite economic axiom: “If you want to live like a Republican, you’d better vote like a Democrat.” It never ceases to amaze me that people who move into the middle class, thanks to the economic, social, governmental and tax policies of the liberals and/or progressives, soon forget how they got there and start the “I got mine, the hell with you” Rethug mentality. Damn that just really pisses me off!!

    P.S. I will gladly relinquish any ownership rights I might have, regarding my economic axiom, to all Democrats and progressives for use to beat the shit out all Rethugs and those who believe their nonsens and lies. PASS IT ON: “If you want to live like a Republican, you’d better vote like a Democrat.”

  • We are talking about a pResident that is so divorced from the real world that he likely believes things are going well in the economy. His handlers likely don’t talk to him about what is really going on (for any topic/issue) and give him the kind of numbers that make him feel better and fit well with his world view. I bet if someone (not the press obviously) point blank asked about his comments in light of the new numbers he would look blank and go “HUH?”

  • Of course, I’m tempted to say that perhaps the Prez DOES think the economy is on the right track. That is to say that rolling back middle-class prosperity and returning us to a depression era economy where workers fight each other for the right to work for less than a living wage may be what the ultimate plan is. Shit, we’re getting closer to that all the time. And what’s going to happen to retirees when the rest of the airline industry follows United lead and declares bankruptcy to shed pension liabilities. If too many more retirement plans get dumped on the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp., that entity will be insolvent and who among us thinks that the Republican House and Senate will bail it out?

    Seem to me that things are getting more brittle all the time.

  • What the fuck are you people talking about!? Of course Bush is right; this economy i
    s on EXACTLY the right track!

    I can get shitloads of work done, for pennies, by sending it to India and China! And, by firing so many of you low-lifes, that the ones that remain will work their asses off, do off-the-clock overtime, kiss my ass, etc, just to keep their damned jobs! A scared workforce is a compliant workforce, is what I say. I’m damned glad that Bush got this economy back on track. It’s wonderfully on-track for me. If it’s not for you, all the better for me.

    My profits are soaring; I could issue dividends that would make your head spin. But of course, instead my cronies on the Board are giving me lots of bonuses and stock grants for being such a clever fellow. Well, I issue some dividends too; gotta keep the Street happy. And happy they are.

    The Death Tax? Gone. Plenty of Corporate tax cuts? Done! Tax breaks for me and my fe
    llow executives? Plenty of ’em. Not nearly enough though; we’ve got to dismantle all
    of this horseshit Socialist wealth distribution crap.

    And Bush is pushing exactly my agenda: privatize Social Security. That’ll make the US government dependent on the whims of ths stock market! If the market goes down, then millions of Americans will default on their “private account” margin loans issued by the SSA (it’s not a “diversion”, it’s a margin loan. Look it up). The SSA will thus cower in mortal fear of The Market– and will be deeply (and literally) invested in artificially pumping it up– just like every patriotic American should.

    Then cancel Medicare and Medicaid, and all that welfare-state garbage. We don’t need it. Those who are rich have earned the right to be rich. Those who haven’t are scum. Fuck ’em.

    Want health care? Then work for your living, compete brutally with each other (and with my $2/day Indians and Chinese) for jobs, so that I can live like a medieval feudal lord on the profits– which, basically is exactly what I am. If you don’t work your ass off, I will fire you, which mean you’ll lose your health care and your children will die. Muaaa ha ha haaa. I have you now.

    Eat your hearts out, lefty assholes. Your socialist dream died with the Soviet Union. We, the Dominators of the Earth, are the future.

    Why are you wasting your time on this site? Get back to work, you lazy bastards. I have quarterly numbers to hit, and you’re going to do it for me. I’m too busy; I’ve got to go pick up my new Gulfstream.

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